Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19631 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-06-19
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: Italian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 230 minutes

DVD Description
Visconti’s 1972 film is a lavish and operatic portrait of Ludwig II, the ‘Mad King’ of Bavaria. From his glittering coronation to his mysterious suicide, Ludwig II (1845-86) epitomised the doomed nineteenth-century Romantic hero. A loner by nature, he was tormented by his unrequited love for his cousin, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who sensed his true sexual nature and fragile grip on reality. But as war raged around him, Ludwig’s sole obsession remained the visionary music of Richard Wagner, and he retreated more and more into a fantasy world, alarming his ministers through his irrational behaviour, neglect of state affairs and lavish expenditure on several fairytale castles. Judged unfit to rule, Ludwig was declared insane.

Special Features
The scent of Primroses:Silvana Mangano, Italian Portraits: Suso C'echi D'Ami, Documentary on Luchino Visconti

Synopsis
A dramatisation of the tormented Bavarian King Ludwig's brief but colourful reign, from his loves for Elisabeth of Austria and composer Richard Wagner to his ever-growing madness and subsequent death.

Customer Reviews

Long, Long Long Film - but worth your time!
'Ludwig' is one of the Italian director Visconti's later films, and in common with some of his other work (The Damned, Death in Venice), it is concerned with aristocratic decadence. You will rarely see a film which has been concieved on such a lavish, epic scale; telling the story of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and his obsession with Wagner, pretty male favourites, and fairytale castles, it weighs in at over 4 hours on this release of the full length version. Previously, 'Ludwig' has been released in various forms, sometimes at half this length, but if you can invest the time to watch it all, the film does have a certain unique charm (although it is admittedly very slow). It also has to be said that the histrionic lead performance by Helmut Berger is probably one you will either love or hate, although Romy Schneider is wonderful as the enigmatic Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

This DVD release also carries 2 hours of excellent extra features, and although the picture isn't as sharp as might be hoped, and the dubbing can also be irritating (the soundtrack is in Italian but most of the actors appear to have performed in English or German), it is still well worth investigating, and is certainly essential to anyone interested in Italian cinema and Visconti in particular.

Decadent majesty - no light entertainment - superb performance by Romy Schneider
Although Visconti tells the life story of Ludwig III as a story of slow decay, at the same time he celebrates Ludwig's aesthetic utopia. Since even if the eternal opposition between style and substance is apparent, he tries to show an elegance relieved every reality. Visconti wanted to expose Ludwig not as a false-led dreamer, but pays tribute to the psychotic unconditional nature of his idealism. At the same time the movie represents the incompatibility of his vision with a full life in the real world. However, the Wagner's stage settings which Ludwig loved so much are not to be seen in the film. Essentially for Viscontis project was only the stage setting, Ludwig has subjected himself. In the real life it was doomed, but in a movie film it triumphs in decadent majesty.


While being very interesting in its approach, the movie is far too long and too heavy for my taste. Helmut Berger can convince as Ludwig, but really amazing is the performance of Romy Schneider. How far she has come from the "Sissi" imagine to portrait the Empress in such a way. Such amazing.

So all in all, artistic and interesting, but a bit too heavy. No light entertainment.

Wonderful movie
This is a wonderful movie, in fact it was so compelling that three hours flew by and I found myself not wanting it to end.

Overall it's a quiet film with thoughtful performances and seems to be sincere in its attempt to show the central role of King Ludwig of Bavaria as a very sensitive, sad, ultimately self destructive King who loved art and music more than his throne. Here he is gently underplayed by Berger whose dignified portrayal is one of his best performances.


Whether madness or medicine we will never know but our sympathy for this tormented man is enlisted from the start. How much is historically accurate I am not sure but it seems to follow the well known facts and presents them dressed in all the splendour of the day.

Visconti strikes the right note from the very start with sumptuous costumes, ultra romantic settings, and beautiful actors - he has a craftsman's grip on his subject and never once does he allow the film to descend into a clichéd costume drama, nor does the usually irritating dubbing have any detrimental effect on the overall enjoyment of this film - all this accompanied by the strains of Wagner's monumental music and what more could you ask for?

The DVD is value for money, picture quality and sound are excellent and there is a bonus disc containing a documentary on Visconti. A must have for any serious movie collection.